For all modern technology, gunning and commanding really require two people, else you have an ineffective platform. Opportunity for Reservists too? Infantry, Part I: Regular Army /The War in Vietnam (Please click on the image for a larger version) I really like your idea of sharing public duties! Maybe reserve Infantry can protect reserve loggies delivering stores and ammo. I really disagree with the LMG being retired. PHILANTHROPY. Why are we tethering ourselves to four? Genuine question because I do not think that Guardsmen do dislike public duties to the extent you suggest. They usually consist of three or more field armies, with about 1 million to 3 million soldiers. God Bless you man. An infantry battalion, logistical battalion, combat battalion, and the Netherlands Marine Corps all have a battalion structure. I dont think I was spoken to once during my six years in the reserves. Battalion | Military Wiki | Fandom They are normally identified by ordinal numbers (1st Battalion, 2nd Squadron, etc.) The overall structure defined by sub-unit organisation reflects the fact that protected mobility is now needed more widely. * Each squad is authorized two disposable shoulder-fired munitions (general AT-4s) which would go to the Riflemen. While it cant do indirect fire into dead ground the CG is very acccurate and very lethal which I think more than makes up for the reduced number of rounds plts will be able to carry for them. Introduction Purpose of Organization.--The purpose of military organization is to secure the most effective use of the men, weapons, and other resources of a body of troops. This set up allows the squad to fire and maneuver at the same time, with one team able to act as a "support" element and the other as an "assault" element. @MikeW This assumes light-role units are geared towards lower-intensity than the operations which Armd/Mech Inf will conduct: higher-intensity warfighting with an increasingly potent air threat. The Table of Organization (T/O) of the Marine Corps lays out the organizational structure and the equipment required to function. 1 x Fire Support Sect: SC, two-man GPMG team, two-man CG/SPIKE SR/C90 anti-tank team and three-man 60mm mortar team. This allows each platoon to have a total of four GPMGs and 4 DMRs. Reconnaissance Troop, company-size unit These are: The Communications Platoon (formerly the Signals Platoon) is primarily designed to support Battalion HQ by providing C4I services and radio operators. I further agree that 28 is a good number: four six-strong sections and a four-strong Pl HQ has sufficient flexibility, lethality and survivability (it can absorb casualties, something current AI platoons struggle to do). Each Rifle Company had a Heavy Weapons Platoon that was divided into a Required fields are marked *. Same for Mech Inf, if you are happy to reduce dismounted infantry mass to 22 (36 + 4). In the late 1980s, there was a fourth "line" company added (DCompany) in most infantry and tank battalions. Man-portable drones and UAVs could be battle-winning assets. German Organization for Combat, 1944 - Feldgrau Bear in mind that you have to fit everybodys kit in thats not just kit to fight but to live from. Exellent article and I just thought Id add some thoughts. Its important that they are volunteers as far as possible. Table of US Divisions 100th Infantry Battalion | Densho Encyclopedia 2) Would it work for the role of the specialised infantry battalions? I have proposed just what you suggest in your comment. A corps includes two to five divisions with anywhere between 20,000 and 45,000 soldiers. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/mhvThis video gives an overview on the structure and organization of an US Army Infantry Battalion in 1944. I have been asked many times about our Army infantry structure in Vietnam. All infantry ideally would then become mechanised infantry. But each platoon then gains four or five extra soldiers. Starting in 20052006, the U.S. Army's mechanized and tank battalions were reorganized into combined arms battalions (CABs). This would lead directly to an to small infantry force wich would not be able to create the said necessary critial mass and also such an infantry would simply not have the overall size which is necessary to fight in an infantry-terrain (like woods, urban etc). They will win, or loose. These units are characterized by their lack of integral motorization or mechanization for the entire brigade, and are thus less mobile, but as a result are highly deployable. Generally, the RTO sticks with the Platoon Leader to keep them in constant communication with their squads and company headquarters. Returning to three standard rifle platoons with organic GPMGs, avoiding the need for a fourth fire support platoon, streamlines the overall battalion structure and reduces the administrative burden of bringing soldiers from Army Reserve units. AUTHORISED PERSONNEL: AUTHORISED EQUIPMENT - BATTALION LEVEL: Prev Next @UKLP The GPMG Light Role and GPMG Sustained Fire are very different weapons with very different roles and capabilities. As noted above, there is no reason why other weapon types and combinations could not also be used. endstream
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Currently, infantry companies have a fourth fire support platoon equipped with 7.62 mm L7A2 GPMGs. I think were missing a trick with not using the reserve transition from regular service. Certainly turret-mounted 30 mm or 40 mm cannons are preferred. This where I would fit the reserve infantry into the mix, sticking with 1 inf battalion providing 1 Coy on the 1 in 3 rotation to their twinned regular battalion for the regular motorized inf Battalions. The armoured brigade would have Ajax Recce, Chally, Ajax IFV (bye bye Warrior! Also, knowing that, whatever the role or the mission, you have 36 soldiers at your disposal is reassuring, because it the efficacy and potency of the platoon becomes a known quantity. It enables a return to pre-1950s rule of four: assault, suppress, reserve, exploit. Theyre commanded by a general and are considered self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It has also been suggested that rifle companies should acquire 81 mm mortars. Did your article mention or show pictures of the benches being kept or are they being replaced by seats? 2019-2023 Battle Order. Significantly, you would reduce the Reserve Infantry from 16 battalions to just 33 rifle coys and so lost not just 15 rifle coys but lost all the support weapons specialists and G1/4/6 troops. An infantry fire team might include two riflemen, one of whom is the team leader; a grenadier and an automatic rifleman, who is used when small reconnaissance or special missions are required.. Tactically, battalions are grouped into brigades. This structure is ideal for counter insurgency operations where there is a focus on foot patrols and other dismounted operations. Without the institutional Army, the operational side cant function. When the German armed forces began their invasion of Soviet Union in June 1941 with . This is an excellent weapon. A HIMARS trucker mounted single pod MLRS rocket launcher has only a crew of 3. But war is not about comfort, I know. During the American Civil War, an infantry or cavalry battalion was an ad hoc grouping of companies from the parent regiment (which had ten companies, A through K, minus J as described below), except for certain regular infantry regiments, which were formally organized into three battalions of six companies each (numbered 16 per battalion vice sequential letter designations). Item No. Go to Units With eachJavelin vehicle requiring a driver and commander, this creates a headcount requirement of 1 officer + 31 other ranks. Each type of brigade ( infantry or airborne infantry) has the same basic organization. The Civil War led to the establishment of the first American staff school in order to train officers in the art of order transmission and execution. Welfare Office From the 1960s through the early 1980s, a typical maneuver (infantry or tank) battalion had five companies: headquarters and headquarters company (HHC) and A, B, and CCompanies, plus a combat support company (CSC), with a scout platoon, 107mm (4.2 inch) heavy mortar platoon, along with other elements that varied between organizations. For purposes of . This essentially gives us a diamond structure with a centralised support function for each unit and is creates a fully contained self supporting unit at battalion level that has everything it needs, crucially this structure allows for every battalion in the force to have 1 company at high readiness, 1 training up, 1 coming off and 1 at rest and this can revolve in 3 or 6 month cycles. Often these will be stored in vehicles until needed. Losing this space (currently in the Pl HQ wagon) is a big problem. Of course, there will always be exceptions, be you Regular or Reserve, but to dismiss them as second-rate soldiers is unfounded and outdated. of troops assigned than an infantry company . In 1944 an US Army infantry battalion roughly consisted of 900 men. consists of a Platoon Leader (Second or First Lieutenant), Platoon Sergeant (Sergeant First Class) and Radiotelephone Operator/RTO (Specialist). This will lead to higher costs per bataillon and therefore to higher overall costs. There are combat arms battalions, as well as combat support and combat service support battalions. Usually commanded by a major general, divisions are made up of three or four brigades and include 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers. The Combat Medic and Platoon Sergeant are generally paired as the Platoon Sergeant is responsible for coordinating CASEVAC. A battalion is a military unit with 300 to 1,200 soldiers that usually consists of two to seven companies and is commanded by either a lieutenant colonel or a colonel. The organization here has been valid since approximately 2012, although weapon systems have changed over time. My idea would be here to adept and develope the russian/soviet idea of the Bronegruppa to the extreme. Each of the infantry regiments had, besides its twelve rifle and heavy weapons companies, a 13th (infantry howitzer) and 14th (antitank) company. The T/O started out as a chart-like document published by the War Department during WWII, prescribing the organic structure and equipment of units from divisional strength on down to the smallest operational entities . (b) In principal belongs to the auxiliary service. A heavily loaded German infantry unit marching into a new position on the Eastern Front in 1943. At the armoured end, I believe Boxer is designed to also carry all the kit required for an 8 man section, which does not mean extra seats / space for more stores is not a bad thing with 6 dismounts which takes us right back round to mass of dismounts. NOTE: This summary of Army Tables of Organization and Equipment includes only combat and directly related major support units. Personnel will primarily be drivers. Vehicle tools, pegs for the troop shelter and bits like that that dont live in the side or back bins usually go under the left bench, the right has the hydraulic ram for the back door under it and a big tray for the rations. The squad is led by a Squad Leader (Staff Sergeant) and further subdivided into two homogenous fire teams designated Alpha Team and Bravo Team and each led by a Fire Team Leader (Sergeant). In addition to the primary mission companies, a battalion typically includes a headquarters staff and combat service support which may be combined into a Headquarters and service company. This creates a requirement for 1 officer + 44 other ranks. Signals Platoon The problem the Army has is when it wants people to do two jobs at once in two different places at the same time . Outline Organisation Structure of a Standard Infantry Battalion The following image shows the organisation structure of a standard infantry battalion in the Indian Army. The US Marine Corps already adopts a similar approach to the one described here. Traditionally, most British regiments have had more than one battalion. Not being Guards and having never done public duties, how would this sound: These include light infantry (foot), airborne and air assault units. A company consists of 3-4 platoons and is part of a battalion. It usually consists of 1 officer + 27 other ranks. Carl Gustav could perform many of the roles that 51mm/60mm mortars were employed for and also do a better job of it than 40mm MV weapons. Here to Germany Army Unit Organisation 1939-41. Artillery battalions typically comprised four or more batteries, although this number fluctuated considerably. There is also the fact that its not just about seating the troops but stowing all their personal kit and still having room for all the extra section kit and all the spare ammunition and stores and all the vehicle stores. A colonel is generally in command. 6 Battalions of Foot Guards (armoured infantry), 6 battalions of The Light Infantry 6 Battalions of The Fusilliers (Mech infantry in Boxer) and 18 Battalions of The Rifles ? Light infantry Battalion Fired from multi-shot launchers, these can reliably deliver HE at distance. There are four companies to a battalion and four battalions to a regiment. You say this would enhance their professionalism. U.S. Army in WWII Tables of Organization and Equipment Photocopy Index However, your suggestion of four rifle sections will require even greater manpower to maximise effect. For example, during the confusion and high casualty rates of both the Normandy Landings and the Battle of the Bulge, in order to bolster the strength of a depleted infantry regiment, companies and even battalions were moved around as necessary. The division had also an antitank and . Battalions consist of four to six companies and can include up to about 1,000 soldiers. To solve this problem, and to give flexibility through spare seats (needed for terps, picking up dismounts whose wagons are elsewhere and any atts and dets), to build on your idea would it be an idea to give the Pl Sgt and Pl Comd their own wagon each? They are also Emergency Care Sergeants and can maneuver with either the Company Commander or First Sergeant. A weapons company with 160 men and a medical detachment with 30 men. Platoons moving around the battlefield in MIVs may additionally get the 30 mm M230LF chain gun (the same light cannon used in the Apache attack helicopter). I basically used six as a starting point in the interests of standardization because six dismounts seems to be where heavy IFVs are heading and so a six man section seems rational unless youre happy to play musical chairs on arrival and it means you can task one section in a vehicle; presuming you can pull one guy out of the turret you max out at 28 dismounts which is the traditional platoon size. @Jed In my fantasy army its the best allocation of resources. The operational Army conducts full-spectrum operations around the world, supported by institutional units. Mortar platoons with 8 or 9 x 81 mm tubes has been proven on many occasions to be sufficient. Light Aid Detachment This amounts to 1 officer and 38 permanent enlisted personnel, as well as 3 usually attached enlisted personnel.
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